Joy Ricketts

British Camp Reservoir, Malvern Hills 29 May 2004, SO766398

It is said that many hands make light work, it is certainly true that many pairs of eyes make for good lichen recordings as three lichenologists from Gloucestershire and one from Warwickshire joined in the fun.

Initially a brief shower slowed the first hour’s work as soon as the substrates had dried we were on our knees diligently searching amongst the British Camp reservoir environs. The granite chip path, short grassed banks, granite dam walls with linking culvert walls, concrete run-off channels, and concrete water tank covers were all examined.

The Gloucestershire visitors were delighted to see eight species of Cladonias, common here on Malvern’s acidic heaths, but an uncommon substrate in their county. The concrete covers to the water chambers were particular rewarding despite being liberally fertilised by sheep droppings. One large patch of Xanthoria elegans was worthy of being digitalised. Several large thalli of Placynthium nigrum were found. This has a beautiful navy-blue fringed edge to the black coralloid thallus neatly studded with small black apothecia. Nearby, were several small thalli of the rather scarce Aspicilia glaucocarpa and the more common Caloplaca variabilis. These species are usually found on basic stone in the south.

The native granite outcrops found on the lower slopes of Broad Down are well covered with both crustose and foliose lichens. Whilst gasping for breath and hanging on to a shaded overhang for dear life, Porina chlorotica was spotted, this proved later to be a county first.

The corticolous lichens found on ash, oak and sycamore in the wooded area to the north of the reservoir had the usual lichen assemblage including Hypotrachyna revoluta, and Parmotrema chinense. Flavoparmelia caperata, the bright apple green foliose lichen was not found on this occasion.

The list for both the British Camp Reservoir and Broad Downs include

This outstanding site seems to have everything a lichenologist could wish for, several large sandstone outcrops, patches of acidic heath, wooden fence posts and many well-lit, neutral barked, deciduous trees. During this visit several sandstone outcrops including Pecketts Rock and Jacobs Ladder were examined together with their near-by-deciduous trees. Several luxuriant patches of Cladonia floerkeana, C. squamosa and C furcata were noted at the base of Pecketts rock. Stereocaulon evolutum, a very unusual find for this region, was found on one of the flat but sheltered outcrops along with large patches of Diploschistes scruposus. A further visit is planned to extend the recording area.

Species found on sandstone outcrops include

1. Amandinea punctata
2. Chaenotheca ferruginea
3. Evernia prunastri
4. Flavoparmelia caperata
5. Fuscidea lightfootii
6. Hypogymnia physodes
7. Hypogymnia tubulosa
8. Lecanora chlarotera
9. Lecanora expallens
10. Lecanora symmicta
11. Melanelia subaurifera
12. Micarea prasina
13. Parmelia sulcata
14. Parmotrema chinense
15. Physcia adscendens
16. Physcia tenella
17. Platismatia glauca
18. Punctelia subrudecta
19. Punctelia ulophylla
20. Ramalina farinacea
21. Scoliciosporum chlorococcum
22. Xanthoria parietina
23. Xanthoria polycarpa
24. Sandy Heaths
25. Cetraria aculeatum
26. Cladonia chlorophaea
27. Cladonia ciliata var. tenuis
28. Cladonia furcata
29. Cladonia ramulosa
30. Peltigera hymenina
31. Fence posts
32. Amandinea punctata
33. Cladonia coniocraea
34. Cladonia macilenta
35. Lecanora saligna

Habberley Valley. 27 September 2004

Recorders: Peter W James (Natural History Museum) Cliff Smith and Joy Ricketts.

Mr James considers the Habberley Valley rocks to be very interesting with its own specialised flora through the rock’s water retentive properties and unique substrate chemistry.

The following additional species were found on the rocks

1. Cladonia pyxidata
2. Cladonia subulata
3. Lepraria caesioalba
4. Leproloma membranacea
5. Porpidia cinereoatra
6. Porpidia platycarpoides
7. Rhizocarpon concentricum
8. Trapelia coarctata
9. Additional corticolous species include
10. Bacidia adastra
11. Dimerella pineti
12. Hypocenomyce scalaris
13. Parmeliopsis ambigua

On a tree stump

Trapeliopsis pseudogranulosa

Ash on the roadside of Habberley Lane. SO 795780

Ash bark favours lichen colonisation and development. The trunk was smothered with both crustose and foliose lichens. I was delighted to find Ochrolechia turneri this was last recorded by Francis Rose from the Wyre Forest in 1969.

Species found on this single Ash include

A dead Alder by the pond at SO 796781 had Lecanora carpinea

Hoarstone Lane. Wooden railings and concrete posts. SO 794778

The weathered concrete posts and caps supported 15 different species of lichen. The weathered railings were also richly covered, particularly with foliose species, including Usnea subfloridana.

Wooden Railings Concrete posts

1. Evernia prunastri Aspicilia contorta
2. Flavoparmelia caperata Caloplaca holocarpa
3. Hypogymnia physodes Caloplaca crenulatella
4. Hypogymnia tubulosa Lecanora albescens
5. Hypotrachyna revoluta Lecanora albescens
6. Lecania cyrtella Lecanora campestris
7. Lecanora chlarotera Lecanora dispersa
8. Lecanora conizaeoides Lecanora muralis
9. Lecanora symmicta Lecidella stigmatea
10. Melanelia subaurifera Physcia caesia
11. Parmelia saxatilis Verrucaria macrostoma f. furfuracea
12. Parmelia sulcata Verrucaria nigrescens
13. Physcia adscendens Xanthoria calcicola
14. Placynthiella icmalea Xanthoria elegans
15. Trapeliopsis flexuosa Xanthoria parietina
16. Usnea subfloridana
17. Xanthoria parietina

Wassall Wood has a dense tree canopy and closely planted trees. Poorly lit-areas such as these result in an impoverished lichen flora. Recordings were only taken from those trees and logs found in the more open Earthworks area. Nothing of significance was found.